Priority to German Patent Application No. 101 46267.0-21, filed Sep. 20, 2001 and hereby incorporated by reference herein, is claimed.
The present invention relates to a top for a convertible vehicle, including a rear region of the convertible vehicle arranged behind a passenger compartment and intended for receiving a deposited top, in an opened state of the top.
In the construction of modern convertible vehicles, it is of increasing importance to provide the tops with the option of an automatic opening and closing process. One concern in an opening and closing process of this type involves the processes in the rear region of a convertible vehicle, in which, firstly, care has to be taken to ensure that, during an opening process, the top has sufficient space to pass through on its way into a storage position in the rear region of the vehicle, and, secondly, parts of the opened top can no longer be seen and the rear region is completely closed again.
DE 196 37 005 C1 describes a covering element which, in a closed state of the top, is positioned in the manner of a conventional rear shelf below a rear window, can be pivoted open during a top-opening movement and, in a closed state of the top, can be arranged in a position essentially displaced in the rear direction with respect to the position of the rear shelf. In the case of such a displacement of the rear shelf in the rear direction, said shelf serving to bridge the opening, caused by the absence of the rear roof part, in the rear region of the vehicle, the inevitable result is that a new opening arises between the front edge of the rear shelf and a rear boundary of the passenger compartment, said opening corresponding in its width to the displacement of the rear shelf. In general, further flap-like elements therefore have to be provided on the rear shelf, which elements can be pivoted open or shut after displacement of the rear shelf, in order to bridge all of the openings. The device described in DE 196 37 005 C1 is only shown in part, but from details of the drawings, for example, the shaping of the fitting part 12 in FIG. 3, it can be seen that a further, pivotable flap element adjoining the front of the rear shelf 7 is provided, in order, at least in an opened state of the top, to close all of the openings. This results in a complicated mechanism and in additional conspicuous gaps, which can be seen from the outside.
DE 100 39 682 A1 describes a retractable top for a convertible vehicle in which a rear shelf is moveably connected to a rear element of the vehicle, wherein the rear shelf can be deposited below the rear element and the rear element can be swung open in order to release a space for retraction and storage of roof parts of the top. In the open state of the top, the rear element and the rear shelf are arranged in the same position as in the closed state of the top. A problem with gaps remaining due to a retraction of a rear roof part does not arise here as the rear roof part is simply placed upon the rear shelf in the closed state of the top.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,915 describes a retractable top in which a rear shelf is moveably connected to a rear element of the vehicle, wherein the rear shelf can be deposited below the rear element and the rear element can be swung open in order to release a space for retraction and storage of roof parts of the top. In the open state of the top, the rear element and the rear shelf are arranged in the same position as in the closed state of the top. Although a rear roof part is arranged between the rear element and the rear shelf in the closed position of the top and therefore leaving a gap when the rear roof part has been retracted, no measures in order to overcome the resulting gap are disclosed.
An object of the present invention is to provide a top for a convertible vehicle, in which a covering of the rear region of the convertible vehicle, which covering has as few gaps as possible, is made possible by simple means.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for opening a top of a convertible vehicle, in which a simple covering of the rear region of the convertible vehicle is made possible.
The present invention provides a top for a convertible vehicle. The top includes a rear region of the convertible vehicle, which region is arranged behind a passenger compartment and is intended for receiving a deposited top, in an opened state of the top. The top also includes a rear element at least partially covering said rear region, at least in a closed state of the top. The top also includes a covering element, and at least one rear roof part. The covering element, in a first position assigned to a closed state of the top, is adjacent at one end to a boundary of said passenger compartment and is adjacent at the other end to said rear roof part. The covering element is movable into a second position releasing a movement space for the top, and the covering element, in a third position assigned to said opened state of the top, is adjacent at one end to said boundary of said passenger compartment and is adjacent at the other end to said rear element.
In this case, a covering element, which, in a first position is assigned to a closed state of the top, is adjacent at one end to a boundary of the passenger compartment and is adjacent at the other end to the rear roof part, and which can be moved into a second position releasing a movement space for the top, is advantageously designed in such a manner that it can be moved into a third position assigned to the opened state of the top, with the result that it is adjacent at one end to the boundary of the passenger compartment and at the other end to the rear element. In this manner, further movable parts of a covering element, in particular, parts which can be pivoted about the transverse axis of the vehicle, can advantageously also be omitted.
In a preferred embodiment of a top according to the present invention, the covering element has a linkage mechanism comprising a four-bar linkage, the covering element being connected movably to the convertible vehicle by means of the linkage mechanism. In particular, one joint of the linkage mechanism is designed in such a manner that the distance of the axis of rotation of the joint to an axis of rotation of an adjacent joint in the linkage mechanism can be changed, as a result of which the three positions of the covering element can be taken up in a particularly simple manner.
It is advantageous here for a first force introducing unit to be provided on the covering element, most of the movement of the covering element relative to the convertible vehicle being brought about by said force introducing unit, it being possible to change the distance of the axis of rotation of the joint by means of a second force introducing unit provided on the covering element. In particular, the second force introducing unit can advantageously be used at the same time to move flap elements, which are held movably on the covering element. These flap elements are generally folded into a plane together with the covering element if the top is in an opened state, and are folded downward in order to release a space for the C-pillars of the top in the closed state of the top.
The provision of the force introducing units on the covering element provides, in particular, the option of a modular construction of a covering element for a top according to the present invention, with the result that a covering element of this type can be adapted in its shaping to different types of vehicle with little effort.
In a particularly advantageous design of a top according to the present invention, the top is designed as a multi-part, in particular three-part hard-shell collapsible top. However, the top may also be a conventional folding top, in case there is a likewise problem of an opening remaining when the top is retracted into a rear region of the convertible vehicle.
The present invention also provides a method for opening a top of a convertible vehicle. The method includes opening a rear element of the vehicle in order to release a substantial part of a movement space of the top, and pivoting a covering element open, starting from a first position in which said covering element is adjacent to a rear boundary of a passenger compartment and is also adjacent to a rear roof part of the top, into a second position of the covering element in which the covering element releases additional space for the opening of the top. The method also includes retracting roof parts of the top into a rear region of the convertible vehicle, and closing the rear element again and moving the covering element into a third position in which the cover element is adjacent to the rear boundary of the passenger compartment and is also adjacent to the rear element.
Further features and advantages of a top according to the present invention emerge from the exemplary embodiment described below and from the claims.